Morning radio in Chicago has featured husband-and-wife team Don and Roma Wade for more than 25 years. Don is a lifelong radio personality, while Roma, an educator, came to it later in life. “My husband lured me into radio,” she says. But a decision the couple made together was to support the Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind because they saw their own professional careers as a natural link to the charity. “The concept of radio is so helpful to… Read more

The dozen women sit in a circle on the floor, sharing their symptoms of “compassion fatigue.” All are caregivers for chronically or terminally ill animals. Some are veterinarians, vet technicians, vet tech students; there’s even a pet owner or two. “Refill the Well” is a one-night workshop given by the Reverend Eliza Blanchard in Westwood, Massachusetts. Blanchard tells participants that their jobs are difficult “because you give care, you don’t take care.” She reminds the group of the announcement on… Read more

In the Academy at Florence, one of the great Italian masterpieces displayed is Michelangelo’s statue, “David.” Every year, thousands of people admire this early example of the great master’s work, unaware that the huge block of stone from which the figure was hewn has a curious history. At first an inferior artist began to work on it, but through lack of skill, he succeeded only in hacking and marring the marble. Then the rulers of Florence called on the young… Read more

In the Revolutionary War, during preparations for a battle, a man in civilian clothes passed a corporal who was arrogantly ordering his men to lift a heavy beam. The man stopped and asked the corporal, “Why don’t you help them?” “Sir,” the answer came back indignantly, “I am a corporal!” With a muttered apology, the stranger stripped off his coat and pitched in to help the soldiers. “Mr. Corporal,” he said when the task was done, “whenever you haven’t enough… Read more

Interested in Egypt from childhood, Howard Carter got to travel there from his home in England when he was in his early 20s. He worked as an artist and photographer at various sites, capturing the beauty of ancient civilizations. In 1922, more than three decades after his arrival, Carter discovered the intact royal tomb of the Pharaoh Tutankhamun—“King Tut”—who had been interred around 1333 B.C. Reports say that Carter struggled after that to produce a noteworthy follow-up to his remarkable… Read more

A bricklayer whose brother happened to be a gifted and famous violinist once found himself in a conversation with the head of the construction company for which he worked. “It must be great to have such a renowned man for a brother,” the executive said. And then, anxious not to offend his worker’s pride, he added, “Of course, we must accept the fact that talent isn’t evenly distributed—even in the same family.” “That’s the truth,” replied the bricklayer. “Why, my… Read more

A look into the Bronx, New York basement of Nilda Garces reveals what might be best described as a United Nations of puppets. On every wall there hangs a cluster of puppets—“little people,” as Garces calls them—each one dressed in traditional garb from across the globe. For almost four decades, Nilda has been using the puppets locally in her shows and classes for education, recreation and therapy. A self-taught puppet maker, Garces started with shows for kids in the Bronx… Read more

A high-school girl, seated next to a famous astronomer at a dinner party, struck up a conversation with him by asking, “What do you do for a living?” “I study astronomy,” he replied. “Really?” said the teenager, wide-eyed. “I finished astronomy last year.” Many people stop growing mentally and spiritually at an early age. Physically, they continue to develop, but spiritually they remain as six-year-olds. Yet most of us do recognize that we have a lot to learn. The words… Read more

An English nobleman gave his jester a wand, saying, “Keep this until you find a greater fool than yourself.” The jester laughingly accepted the wand and waved it about on festive occasions. One day, the nobleman lay dying. Calling the jester to his bedside, he said, “I am going on a long journey.” “Where to?” asked the jester. “I don’t know,” came the reply. “How long will you be gone?” the jester inquired. “I will be gone forever,” said the… Read more

It might seem hard to excel on the job if you’re not outspoken. But Wendy Gelberg, author of The Successful Introvert: How to Enhance Your Job Search and Advance Your Career, tells us how to go from shy to shining at work. ▪ Set meeting goals. Review the agenda in advance, and be prepared to contribute one idea, comment or suggestion. ▪ Speak when you can. If a meeting setting proves too intimidating, ask for some one-on-one time for post-meeting… Read more